Writing SEO-friendly listing titles and descriptions
Best practices for listing names and descriptions that rank well in search results.
Why listing content matters for SEO
Each listing in your directory has its own page indexed by search engines. Well-written listing content means more pages ranking for local search queries, which means more organic traffic to your directory.
Listing names
- Use the business's real name — don't stuff keywords into it.
- Don't add location keywords to the name (e.g. don't write "Joe's Plumbing Sydney CBD") — that's what the address and location fields are for.
Short description (listing card)
This 1–2 sentence summary appears in search results as the meta description for the listing page. Keep it under 155 characters, and include the business type and location naturally (e.g. "Family-run Italian restaurant in Newtown, serving fresh pasta and wood-fired pizza since 1998").
Full description
- Aim for at least 100 words of original content per listing.
- Mention the suburb/neighbourhood naturally within the text.
- Include specific services, products, or specialties — this helps you rank for long-tail queries.
- Avoid copying descriptions from the business's own website — duplicate content dilutes your SEO value.
Categories and location fields
Fill in the correct category and location for every listing. These feed into the URL structure (/category/restaurant/joe-s-pasta), which is a meaningful SEO signal.
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